2012 BLX Pro Open...?

I am a sponsored Wilson pro, and love the wilson blx pro open. I have had them since released year or so back, (imho the most overlooked stick in all of racquets). I Called wilson to order a couple of the existing ones, and to my surprise none in stock because of the "new 2012 Pro open. They said it has the larger port holes, I was a little upset to here this because I feel while it may increase the sweetspot it may be too powerful, any one able to get there hands on one yet and could explain the differences if any?

Yeah i am not sure if they are trying to change it because the juice 100 has similar stats and they are pushing juice. I love juice pro, much more than pro tour, but the pro open is better than juice 100.

The new pro open i have seen priced at 159 instead of 189 which makes me feel more like they are phasing it out or something.

I went to a Wilson demo today at PGA Tour Superstore and the Wilson rep had one of the 2012 Pro Opens. I spoke to him about it and he said it was exactly the same. I asked more about details like grommits, etc. and he said as far as he knew it was simply an updated paint job. Exact same technology, and maybe this is why it is at $159.99.

I got to hit with it, but the strings were NXT and a little worn, and we were hitting with a machine in a line of about 15 people at the back of the court (about 3 feet off the court) and the machine was going deep. Also there were a lot of pretty girls making me nervous haha. Anyways it felt the same. Felt real nice and smooth. I can imagine with my string setup it would be just like my 2011 Pro Open. It hit better than the Juice 100 to me.

BlakeAF, I see that the steam 100 was also at the demo. Did you hit with it, and if so, what did you think?

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I didn't hit it at the demo, but I did demo it a few days before. The first two rackets I demo'd were the steam and juice 100 looking for a compliment to my pro open. At first I didn't like the steam because of paint and 27.25 length. The juice was more like the pro open. I didn't really like either more than my pro open.

Then I tried the juice pro and it was like magic with a new poly hybrid setup. I couldn't put it down. I found my weight lifting hitting partner could no longer push me around at net or with first serves, and while the pro tour felt uncomfortable this just felt right. IMO this is the most improved racket of 2012 from Wilson although I never hit with pro staffs before these demos.

After going back I could not enjoy the juice 100. It was too much power, and not as controlled as my pro open. Now that I was used to the 27.25 length of the juice pro (really only took 30 mins of hitting) I tried the steam again. This time it wasn't so bad, but I really only enjoyed serving and hitting long casual rallies. It was easy to hit with, great for an older guy I hit with, and more comfortable on 2 hand backhands with the added length. I got pushed around again, but once dialing it in I didn't dislike it as much.

I really enjoyed the pro staff 95, but found the juice pro to be more suited to m as a clear transition from the pro open. The pro staff 100 just baffled me. The 95 was extremely popular at the demo. I saw at least 6 people buy them and the three strongest players there picked them up and hogged them the whole time. They all imitated federer.

I bought the juice pro with alu power full bed @45 lbs. next most popular was juice 100 the. Steam 100.

The juice pro seems to be an under looked racket, but I can't recommend trying it enough especially to pro open players who might get pushed around a little or find a bit too much power. It was comparable to the new roddick, but felt better to me.

it doesn't appear to be exactly the same model as the last one. It is several points more stiff, which could add a little power. I really liked the BLX Pro Open and it was a close battle between it and the Becker DC Pro and I only took the Becker because it served better for me. If they upped the lower a little on the Pro Open, that might give me more power on my serves? Might be worth a try for me.

Very similar, but the juice felt a bit more powerful and just a bit off in all categories. Very similar, but I liked the pro open better from everywhere on the court. I would say it was strings but I hit the pro open and juice 100 with equally mediocre strings. There was just something that clicked with the pro open and I feel just like the op about it. The juice pro has that same feel for me but with a different style racket. The new pro open has it too, and honestly it felt exactly the same to me as 2011. I felt right at home.

Summary I freaking love pro open 2011 and 2012 they just feel right, and I feel the same about the juice pro (96 in head, heavier) for a diff style. Juice and steam were solid but missed something for me.

great to hear, I am the op, and a user of the Pro Open. I have always loved it from all aspects of the court. I also can't help but think if it was called the pure drive and the pure drive was called the pro open, the "pure drive" would be all over the courts...if that makes sense. People need to give this frame a chance, because it's better in every aspect of the game vs the pure drive. But people look at babolat and think they are better. (this is coming from a previous babolat sponsored player using the roddick) But am I correct in saying you think the original plays just like the 2012? My wilson rep told me it has the bigger grommets. But who knows. Maybe I should just stock up on the older PO's. Unfortunately have to pay for them. also what is your string experiences? 45lbs sounds kind of crazy low!

Yeah when I first started demo'ing the first racquets I got to demo were the Aero Pro and Pure Drive because they were so highly hyped and seemed like the cool kids racquets with local players. When I tried the Pro Open though it was love at first hit.

I have played the 2011 Pro Open with a full bed of synthetic gut @ 57 lbs, a hybrid wilson champions duo @ 54/58 lbs, a full bed of poly @ 54 and 45 lbs, and all setups felt great really. Something about this stick... More recently though my local pro has had me using full bed of poly at lower weights (45 lbs). It extends string life, elbow life, and in general plays great. If money or stringing inconvenience weren't issues I would always roll with the nice hybrid setup. Poly at low tensions seems to be getting more and more popular, and you can check out some blog posts @

It is a matter of preference really. I find the stick handles so well with whatever setup. When I hit the 2012 Pro Open it was stock nxt 16 that had been worn out already, but luckily the 2011 Pro Open they had the demo had equally worn out strings so I could compare them. They felt identical, and I felt right at home with the 2012.

I had read your post before I went to the demo and I specifically asked the rep about any changes, including grommits, and he said as far as he knew it was simply a new paint job and reduced price (159 vs 189). Honestly though, he may not have known as he was a bit of a salesman. All I know is it felt identical. The store is supposed to get some in early next week and they will string one up with a nice hybrid setup and they are going to call me when they come in so I will give it a try and see if I notice anything. I will try to get pictures of more details.

You can try the Juice 100, but it wasn't the same magical combination for me. The only new racquets I really enjoyed were the 2012 Pro Open and Juice Pro.

Haha that is the ugliest looking racket I have ever seen. Nice contrast with the crisp new BLX Pro Staff frames..even they are not that nice either.
If feli Lopez has to use this frame, I wonder is Judy will still be able to look at him.

Yeah i am not sure if they are trying to change it because the juice 100 has similar stats and they are pushing juice. I love juice pro, much more than pro tour, but the pro open is better than juice 100.

The new pro open i have seen priced at 159 instead of 189 which makes me feel more like they are phasing it out or something.

The Pro Tour was a complete dog! Did Wilson discontinue it yet? The Pro Open is a very good frame. Wilson's answer to the PD with a bit less power. I haven't tried the new PO, but, if it's more powerful, then I don't see a distinction from the PD.

The Pro Tour was a complete dog! Did Wilson discontinue it yet? The Pro Open is a very good frame. Wilson's answer to the PD with a bit less power. I haven't tried the new PO, but, if it's more powerful, then I don't see a distinction from the PD.

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Yeah I really didn't like it, and yes it is discontinued. The only Pro racquet coming back is the Pro Open. The Juice Pro is sooo much better than the Pro Tour. I mean really the most improved racquet for Wilson imo. I felt like the new PO played the same as the old PO. A great racquet for sure. If you like the old paint better though no reason to switch.

Yeah I really didn't like it, and yes it is discontinued. The only Pro racquet coming back is the Pro Open. The Juice Pro is sooo much better than the Pro Tour. I mean really the most improved racquet for Wilson imo. I felt like the new PO played the same as the old PO. A great racquet for sure. If you like the old paint better though no reason to switch.

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cool. I bought an old PJ and if I like it Im just going to continue to do that.

Also I may be the only one, but I love the Juice Pro paint job. Something about it strung up with grey ALU power makes me smile. One of my favorite racquets ever. I don't get the same feeling from the Juice 100 though because of how big the frame is. Weird I know, but I don't like the Pro Open 11 or 12 paint job all that much. Never really liked a black/yellow combo.

Wilson's marketing is strange as usual. Why did they need to update from the 2011 BLX Pro Open? I have two and luuvvvvv them, just ideal for my 3.5-4.0 all-court game.

I had used K Tour until a year ago, the Pro Open is much more forgiving (not that the K Tour is overly demanding, still a very good racquet), just makes it easier to hit quality shots. I definitely like the moderately head-light balance of the Pro Open, to me it means you can swing with good racquet speed and acceleration without worrying too much about driving it long.

Im playing it stock right now. Great racquet..awesome feel. I think this thing feels better than a babolat tweener by far. The control is better, and it is easier to keep the ball in consistently.

While it is very light compared to my 6.1s, I have not modded it yet. I think the beauty of the racquet is that it hits a pretty big ball at such a light weight. Anyway, I will tinker with that over time and figure it out.

Any arm issues with the Pro Open 2012? My wife and 10 y.o. are trying it now and both love it. My wife's family has weird joints incapable of aging or damage...their joints are made from rubber. No worries there.

With a 72 flex I'm worried about my son adopting it. Should I be concerned? I must admit that when I fooled around with it I didn't feel a flex of 72...the demo is strung with NXT 17 and feels good. I noticed the throat is thinner than the hoop so maybe that rating isn't the whole story?

It's not my cup-o-tea but it felt so forgiving it seems perfect for my son who really enjoys it.

Any arm issues with the Pro Open 2012? My wife and 10 y.o. are trying it now and both love it. My wife's family has weird joints incapable of aging or damage...their joints are made from rubber. No worries there.

With a 72 flex I'm worried about my son adopting it. Should I be concerned? I must admit that when I fooled around with it I didn't feel a flex of 72...the demo is strung with NXT 17 and feels good. I noticed the throat is thinner than the hoop so maybe that rating isn't the whole story?

It's not my cup-o-tea but it felt so forgiving it seems perfect for my son who really enjoys it.

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It's not a 72 flex, it's listed at 68..its actually the same stick as the prior release, so it's more like 66 in flex.

anyway, it has been very very easy on my arm..no issues there so far at all. I am trying full poly and also full RIP control to see which I prefer. I have gut poly in my 2nd one..awesome power and spin, but I don't need gut in this stick because it is so comfortable and powerful. this stick plays unreal with a more controlled string setup, which is why the RIP is so killer in it.

I ended up putting some lead at 12 and on the handle to get it around 330 grams. Still very light but it now hits even bigger.

I also think is very comfortable frame. As long as you don't put very stiff polys I don't see any problem in the racquet. The racquet allowed me to play a lot like from 14 to 17-18 years old, and I still love it. The BLX is still much more comfortable than the back ncode that I used.

My $0.02.
I hated it. Demo'd it over the weekend, and didn't like it at all.

Here is what I liked: Looks are better than the previous version. That's all I liked.
Here is what I didn't like: Feel. Horribly boardy and stiff feeling, and no ball feel. Power was less than a Pure Drive. Feel was less than a Pure Drive. Control was less than a Pure Drive.

Perhaps the string and tension played a part in it...it was a basic 16 gauge synthetic strung a tad too high for my tastes, but I have hit with a Pure Drive with the same tension and there is no comparison.

Of racquets in this range, my top choice would be Yonex or Tecnifibre, with Babolat and Gamma close behind. My bottom choice is the Wilson Pro Open.

If you can modify with lead, I would far more recommend the Wilson Pro Staff 100...nice racquet. Or the Juice 100...a FINE racquet. I thought the Steam with some lead was very nice as well.

My $0.02.
I hated it. Demo'd it over the weekend, and didn't like it at all.

Here is what I liked: Looks are better than the previous version. That's all I liked.
Here is what I didn't like: Feel. Horribly boardy and stiff feeling, and no ball feel. Power was less than a Pure Drive. Feel was less than a Pure Drive. Control was less than a Pure Drive.

Perhaps the string and tension played a part in it...it was a basic 16 gauge synthetic strung a tad too high for my tastes, but I have hit with a Pure Drive with the same tension and there is no comparison.

Of racquets in this range, my top choice would be Yonex or Tecnifibre, with Babolat and Gamma close behind. My bottom choice is the Wilson Pro Open.

If you can modify with lead, I would far more recommend the Wilson Pro Staff 100...nice racquet. Or the Juice 100...a FINE racquet. I thought the Steam with some lead was very nice as well.

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You are the first to say that so maybe the string was just that bad. I don't get it, but that was definitley not my experience.

Its just not a stiff or boardy racquet at all..has tons of ball feel for me. I don't know, but I have so far had a complete opposite experience luckily..lol.

Btw, I saw the 2012 pjs in person and expected to be hating on the paint, but it looks very good in person. Basically if you like the APDCgt paint job, this is the same vibe. Definitley not as hideous as you would think...but that is usually how it is.

I demoed a 2009 BLX Pro Open after hearing your (PP) rave reviews on the racquet. I could not get in a groove with the racquet. Yes, it was softer and less powerful than a Pure Drive but I didn't experience the more feel that everyone talks about. Part of the problem may have been that I demoed it next to a 2012 Pure Drive Roddick which easily blew it out of the park. The PDR did everything a little better for me than the Pro Open. It didn't have any of the hollowness that the Pro Open had.

Take my review with a grain of salt, though. I am probably not the intended user base for the Pro Open as my racquets of choice for the past few years have been Dunlop 200s and Pure Storm Tours.

Yes defintley a different feel when you go up an ounce in weight like that too.

The pro open felt solid in stock form for me, but I have leaded mine just a little and it changes the stick a little. It always has felt solid to me and never hollow though.

Coming from ur background You most likely prefer a heavier stick and would probably need the POpen leaded to your specs to really be into it.

Great screen name by the way..lol.

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My frame of choice is modded to about 12 ounces which I really enjoy but I agree with PP...in spite of its lower weight the BLX Open feels very solid to me. Very stable too.

Re: the 72 flex... I got that from TW's OTHER frame database...the TWU racquet finder DB. It shows the Juice 108 and 2012 Open as having a flex of 72. Again, it didn't feel like that at all. I've tried a friend's Pure Drive and it felt like a frying pan. The Open felt very comfortable, at least for the brief time I hit with it. It also shows the previous Open with a lower flex so maybe that would work too since it's probably available at a lower cost.

If we buy it for my wife and son it would be strung with gut mains and a soft co-poly cross.

I have pacific classic and MSV hex in one and it is SOFT. I'd string the gut higher then you would think..I did it at 60#s and 55#s on the MSV and the thing is still super powered..tons of spin. I had b5e/nvy in the other and the power difference is big time..I can't go back and forth between the 2 sticks without an adjustment.

Just can't agree with the prior review that there is less control and feel than a Pure Drive. I am not sure how that is even possible to be honest. The control on this stick is awesome for being a tweener. The feel is also very very good.

Regardless if I can track down a new Pure Drive at some point I will give it a run next to my Pro Opens. Maybe something changed..who the heck knows. I played the last version of the GT and there is no way it is as solid as the Pro Open.

I'm very curious about your perceptions on the relative power levels and control. When I saw comparisons between the PD and the Pro Open I was a little surprised.

While more powerful than my frame I didn't see the Pro Open nearly as powerful as the PD. The Pro Open also seemed more control oriented. They seem like very different frames.

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They could be. I have to have them all next to me and hit. The control of the Pro Open is killer though. So nice. I'm not sure how big I need a racquet to hit, so this too will be a test. But honestly, the Pro Open with a little lead packs a serious punch. It will be fun to compare them and hopefully help some people here that can't demo make a decision.

Make sure they are strung the same. Honestly, that could have been a huge contributor to my dislike of the Wilson BLX Pro Open. May be a string sensitive racquet...many are!

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I hit with the new pure drive tonight.

It has a crisper feel to it than the pro open. I could honestly use either one..they play very similar. The pro open is safer on the arm though..but man they played a lot alike. Pure drive does have a little more power I think..

Such a tough call..I'm going to string up a pd+ with rip control which is what I use in the pro open..same tension..everything. Then I will be able to give more detail.

Power Player, I like that you hit with both at the same time. I am afraid I have never done that, so my comparison is solely based on memory, and memory is a wee bit faulty (at least mine is). Keep us up to date!

I hit with my wife's Pro Open and Pure Drive Roddick demos this afternoon (both 2012 editions). Both were nearly freshly strung with NXT 17 at mid-tension.

On serves it was no contest, I strongly preferred the PDR. Amazing power while the Pro Open felt sort of wispy.

On ground strokes I strongly preferred the Pro Open. For some reason I was able to generate monster topspin with the PO while the PDR was more stingy in the spin department. The PO also felt more precise.

I noticed the PDR has that classic Babolat string pattern...dense in the middle. The PO was closer to my 300 being more evenly spaced.